Led by 5-2 morning line favorite Rags to Riches, who drew post 11, Friday’s 133rd Kentucky Oaks drew a full field of 14 when entries were taken at the Churchill Downs’ Racing Office Tuesday morning.
Zayat Stables' High Again worked five furlongs in 1:01.40 under jockey Larry Melancon after the renovation break Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs. The move was the 12th-fastest of 36 at the distance over a track labeled as "fast."
Melnyk Racing Stables’ Sealy Hill made her first venture over the main track at Churchill Downs Monday morning, galloping a mile and a half under Julia Brimo. The Point Given filly had vanned over from Keeneland Sunday morning.
Anita Ebert's High Heels, the runaway winner of the Fantasy (GII) in her most recent start, tuned up for her Oaks engagement by working five furlongs over a "fast" track in 1:00 under jockey Joe Johnson before the renovation break Saturday morning at Churchill Downs.
While I have may have been guilty a few weeks ago in conceding the Kentucky Oaks to Rags to Riches, what has transpired since has given me cause to have a 're-think'.
High Heels, bred and owned by Anita Ebert, and trained by Gary "(Red Dog" Hartlage, blew past Cotton Blossom, the 1-2 favorite, in mid-stretch, and drew clear for a stunning six and three-quarter-length victory in the $250,000 Fantasy Stakes before a crowd of 12,201 Friday afternoon at Oaklawn Park.
The Grade Two Fantasy Stakes drew Tuesday with a field of eight 3-year-old distaffers, with shippers coming from all over the country to take on the locals. Two of the more accomplished fillies, Cash Included and Cotton Blossom, figure to vie for favoritism in Friday’s feature, which kicks off Oaklawn’s Racing Festival of the South.
So for better or worse --- and obviously her people will take the better on that one – Rags to Riches will not be seen in her racing armor between now and May 4, when she will come out of the big paddock at Churchill Downs the likely favorite in the 133rd Kentucky Oaks.
Rags to Riches overwhelmed her competition in Sunday’s running of the Grade One, $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks, leaving her connections, owners Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith and trainer Todd Pletcher to contemplate if she should take on the colts in her next start.
Rags to Riches, already a Grade One winner at this track, will look to build on her success in last month’s Las Virgenes when she faces many of the same foes in the Santa Anita Oaks (GI) Sunday.
So the racing office staff is out shaking trees on the backstretch at Santa Anita hoping that a spare 3-year-old filly or two might fall out. They need a couple of extra for next Sunday’s Grade I Santa Anita Oaks at a mile and one sixteenth.